The present invention relates to a toy vehicle game and a control system therefor. More particularly the invention relates to a toy vehicle game in which at least two toy vehicles are separately controlled by the players to enable them to turn out from one lane to the other lane and pass other vehicles on the track. A single boost in maximum available electrical power is made available for a limited maximum time to the toy vehicle executing the passing maneuver.
With the ever increasing popularity of toy vehicle games, such as for example the well known "slot car" games, there is an increasing demand for more realistic action. To this end attempts have been made in the past to provide "slot car" type games with speed control systems, as for example by varying the current flow to the vehicles in the game. To further enhance such realism the slot arrangements in such games also provide for crossing the vehicles from one side of the track to another, to simulate an actual changing of lanes. However, the vehicle is in fact constrained to a fixed predetermined and unvariable path.
Since the play value of such previously proposed vehicle games is limited to the regulation of speed of travel, attempts have been made to provide toy vehicle games which enable an operator to control movement of the vehicle from one lane to the other without the constraint of a guide slot in the track. Such systems include for example the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,797,404, wherein solenoid actuated bumpers are used to physically push the vehicle from one lane to the other by selectively engaging the bumpers along the side walls of the track. It is believed that this type of system does not insure movement of the vehicle from one lane to the other, particularly at slow speeds, and the bumper movements for pushing the vehicle are not realistic.
Other attempts to provide vehicle control for moving the vehicle from one lane to the other involves relatively complicated steering control mechanisms which respond to the switching on and off of current to the toy vehicle supplied through contact strips in the track surface. Such systems are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,774,340 and 3,837,286. However, in addition to the relative complexity of the steering arrangements the vehicles of course lose speed when the current supply is shut off, so that the vehicle slows down and the realistic effect desired to be produced is adversely affected.
Still other steering systems are provided in toy vehicles wherein the vehicle's steering is controlled in response to a reversal of the polarity of the current flow to the electrical drive motor in the vehicle. Such systems are disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,453,970 and 3,813,812, which avoid the problem of stopping current flow completely to the motor so that there is little or no loss of speed, but their steering systems contain numerous moving parts which wear and require constant attention. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,970 to Hansen, electrical wires connecting the motor to the current collectors of the vehicle are used to aid in the steering operation and thus may well work loose during use of the vehicle. Another reversing polarity system is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,232,005 wherein the toy vehicle does not operate on a track and steering control is not provided for switching lanes, but rather is used to provide an apparently random travel control for the vehicle.
Still another toy vehicle game which has been suggested to avoid the constraints of slot car type systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,963 wherein a relatively complex steering control is provided which is responsive to the actuation of a solenoid mounted in the toy vehicle and is controlled remotely by the players.
Still another type of toy vehicle game is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,078,799 and 4,141,553 wherein a slotless track separately provides power to reversible electric motors in a pair of toy vehicles. Either one of two driving wheels on each toy vehicle is powered, depending on the setting of a control switch on an associated controller thus biasing the toy vehicle against one or the other of side walls defining the inner and outer perimeters of the slotless track. The electric motors in the two cars are independently reversed, and the lane travelled by the affected car is selected by the polarity of half-wave-rectified electric power fed to it from associated controller.